And it looks like I won't finish this one this time around either. Don't get me wrong, I really want to. But I have so much other stuff to play. And I'm on the second to last chapter of the game! Sephiroth has gone insane, Cloud proved that he can do more besides roll around on the ground in pain, and Zack has been declared KIA by his organization, when he clearly is not. I'm DYING to finish the story. (Yes, I already know how it ends. That isn't the point.) The missions are only getting in my way.

Granted, the missions are pretty much the only way to acquire decent spells and equipment and to level up. Whole chapters in the story don't involve fighting at all, which is the only way to spin the DMW. I don't hate them or anything (they allow me to level up... this is a good thing), but right now they really remind me of Jiminy's Journal. Like I said earlier, I'm in the second to last chapter, and at the start of this chapter, an additional twenty percent of the missions unlock for you. When you get to the last chapter, about another ten to fifteen percent unlock. Last save point before final boss fight in KH2, anyone?

I had originally planned to complete all the missions this time around. Heh, ain't happening. The story is just too darn good to postpone. I'm sure that there is a save point right before the final boss in this game as well, so I can come back and finish the missions at a later date. I already know I'll play this game again. Just for the fact that I have a spell called Hell Thundaga makes me want to play it again. And the cut-scenes. The cut-scenes are oh so pretty.

Besides, I have three new RPGs I'm ready to play and write about. Scratch that, four. Three on the Xbox and one on the DS. No, five. I forgot about Mass Effect.

Shawn and I have not gotten The Force Unleashed... yet. I need to finish either Crisis Core or KH2 first. My money is on Crisis Core. I've set a new goal for myself to have KH2 finished by the time Re: Chain of Memories comes out in December. No, that doesn't count the damn journal.

I am LOVING Crisis Core. My only wish is that I had more time to play it. (Someone needs to start taking longer naps.) I've completed 40% of the missions and I'm on Chapter 8 of 10 in the story. I really would like to complete all the missions, but I'm at the point where they're all freaking hard. I'm trying to level up so that they aren't as brutal, but well, I'm at the mercy of the DMW gods for that. If anyone is interested, I did write a review of the game. I'm pretty pleased with it.

I haven't been emotionally moved by a game since I played the first Kingdom Hearts. This one just tugs at my heartstrings. I have a feeling that I'm going to cry at the end because I know from FFVII that Zack does eventually get killed, and I have a feeling it happens at the end of this game. Right now I'm just waiting for Sephiroth to snap. So far, Sephiroth and Zack are pretty close friends, but I know that doesn't last. I'm also guessing that Zack's death is what makes Cloud a decent warrior. Right now he's kind of a pansy.

I gave Viva Piñata a chance last week, and even though I see the appeal to it, it's not for me. It's a brightly colored Sim City with a very annoying tutorial. I always liked Sim City, but I always got bored with it after a few hours. This goes down the same path. Although, it is interesting to smack piñatas around with a shovel and to try to get them to have sex.

But why am I bothering to play this game when I still have KH2 to finish? And I got new RPG presents in the form of Lost Odyssey and Mass Effect! Bye-bye piñatas. It's time to get back to a gaming genre I absolutely love. Besides... I may become a RPG reviewer for one of the companies I freelance for. It's time to focus!

I may as well give up on ever finishing Wind Waker. >_<

We've had the Xbox for almost a year now, but we've never taken a trip to the LIVE Arcade. I don't know why, we just never have. But this past month, I have heard glowing raves about a couple of new Arcade games out: Braid and Geometry Wars 2. Then Kombo had three Arcade games up for game of the month for August: Braid, Geometry Wars 2, and Castle Crashers. The guys were getting into an argument about Braid, an Arcade game, being far better than Mercenaries 2, a first-person shooter that lets you drop bombs on whoever you want to.

Maybe it's time I visited the Arcade.

I downloaded the trial versions of Braid, Castle Crashers, and Geometry Wars 2. I've never played the first version of Geometry Wars, but what the hell. I've never played the first three installments of Devil May Cry either, and I don't see a reason to.

Braid is not for me, but I see why our editor in chief was so adamant about crowning it the game of the month. It's a 2-D sidescrolling platform game. It really has a lot of Super Mario influence when it comes to killing enemies and jumping puzzles. Shake it up with a power to rewind time like Prince of Persia, and you have something a little more unique. What captivated me the most was the audio and visual department. The backgrounds are beautiful watercolors, and the music is a lone violin so beautiful, I want the soundtrack. After three levels of figuring out jumping puzzles, I was more than done. I won't delete it though, because I may just start up the game and leave it running just for the music.

Castle Crashers is far more my style. The artwork is more on the silly end, like little kids drew the knights and enemies. But it's hack n' slash. And it's funny. And up to four people can join in on the wacky smackdown with swords. I may purchase this one.

The big winner was Geometry Wars 2. Remember the ancient arcade game Asteroids? It's like that, but not as frustrating. You move your "ship" with the left analog stick, and fire with the right analog stick. Your enemies: geometric shapes. Your mission: destroy as many as you can in three minutes. It sounds retardedly simple, but it's harder than it seems. Combine that with kaleidoscope technicolor and catchy techno music... you have brightly colored crack. Shawn and I both had a blast playing it. We're definitely going to buy it.

I'll be visiting the Arcade a little more often.